america" and we here at abc along with all of you watching at home have watched their safe return and so the end to 30 years of the space shuttle program, a historic moment to be sure. we'll return you now to regular programming in somearts o of the country, that's "world news now" or "america this morning." more on the shuttle landing here later on "good morning america." i'm josh elliott in new york. have a good day. >> as you just saw, the space shuttle atlantis touching down which is the final chapter in the mass of 30 year shuttle program. we will have continuous coverage all morning long including live reports from mission control at god's space center. it is 6:00 and "good morning, washington"begin as now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side.

>> good morning, washington. it is thursday, july 21. i am pamela brown. >> i am scott thuman and we'll let more on the shuttle and you just saw throughout the newscast. let's begin with traffic and weather every 10 minutes. we have excessive he gripping the nation and the nation's capital. temperatures across the country could break tech -- triple digits today. the he is blamed for at least 22 deaths. the extreme heat as costs rose to buckle and water mains to break. at least 31 states are now under water -- he'd advisory. hot and sticky out there today and some of us wish it was snowing. we'll have a heat wave today tomorrow, and saturday. look at the heat warning in effect for nearly the entire viewing area this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon as the heat

and humidity will combine to make it feel like 150 degrees. 77 degrees in winchester. we are on our way to 100 degrees this afternoon. it will feel like 115. tomorrow it gets hotter just over 100 degrees for air temperatures but it will feel like 118 degrees. the commute is still tough if you're traveling in maryland. we're looking at georgia avenue where we had a lot of police activity which has lightened up a tiny bit this morning between southbound randolph road and arcola. all traffic must turn right or left at randolph road. rockville pike added earlier structure fire. southbound lanes are currently blocked. we are looking at i-66 at glebe road where the construction has

been cleared out of the way. we have slow traffic westbound that he's down this morning. thank you so much. a picture-perfect landing for the final flight of the space shuttle atlantis. it landed moments ago that the kennedy space center in florida. >> nose gear touchdown -- having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history is secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time. its voyage at an end. >> thousands of people gathered to watch history unfold. the four-person crew touchdown before dawn and this mission and some assets 30-year shuttle program. it was a poignant moment for thousands of nasa employees in this area. >> mike kineeen joins us now. >> that's the word of the day, a

bittersweet. there was some cheers at staff at nascom operations center at goddard experienced this the final landing of the shuttle atlantis. they manage communications between the shuttle and the johnson center and kennedy center's. late last night, the four astronauts aboard the space shuttle close to the payload bay doors and they had perfect weather for this landing and was a perfect landing. the business of short distance space travel will be in the business of private company as nasa turns to the space exploration be on the moon. let me bring in the chief scientist at goddard. >> aside from the communications with the international space station, spacecraft around the moon we're mapping away future destinations. we're also communicating with

voyager ii as we plan the future. we're going to mars with robots. we'll go back to deep space for the first time in a generation. nasa still has a very bright future. >> we are hearing the thousands of people will be getting pink slips at kennedy space center. i got, you don't expect to see any reorganization? -- at daughter, you don't see any reorganization? >> >> there's a great pride as an american that 30 years of this luminous space flight -- we have gone from an era when we went to the moon to 30 years of building the grid is my and in space which is the international space station. there's a lot of pride across nasa. in one after years, we will look back at the shuttle program as an amazing thing we did.

who would've thought we could have done that? >> we will send it back to you guys. >> good to see them all looking forward. we are following breaking news out of fairfax county where a police officer opened fire on an armed man early this morning. >> it happened in the 6100 block of kendra way and centreville. brianne carter is live with the latest. >> good morning a very active scene out here in this town house complex. authorities say there were first called out here about 1:30 this morning for a disturbance. officials said they received a call from inside the home as well as a call from a neighbor. the nature of the disturbance is still unknown at this time. authorities tell us that one police officer arrived on the scene. he approached the scene from the front and back and police officers discovered that a man and his 30's was inside of the

garage with a weapon. officers say there were ordering the man to drop his weapon and he did not. that is what authorities tell us that police opened fire. the man was pronounced dead here at the scene. it is still a very active investigation. authorities say there was one person inside the home at the time of all this. no more description about anyone inside the home or that man. a lot of police activity out here and this investigation is still ongoing. thank you. on capitol hill, a potential default is now just 11 days away there is little progress of a deal to raise the debt ceiling and for -- and reduce the debt. present obama tried to break the deadlock with meetings with congressional leaders. he says he will accept a short increase in the debt limit should congress need more time to reach a broader deal. this comes as the senate takes up the house's cuts cap, and

balance plan and critics slamming proposed -- a proposal from a bipartisan plan from senators. football fans are hoping an agreement will be reached today to end a four-month old nfl lock out. the 10-hour meeting yesterday ended without a vote. investing -- negotiators worked out some last-minute issues that both sides hope to finalize the agreement and vote on today. >> the time is 6:08 and 78 degrees outside venice still ahead, the new front in the war on terror and where al-qaeda could set its sights next. >> first, the extreme heat is here and adam caskey will tell us how hot it will get.

>> i am from alec out city, maryland in notion city. you can serve here everyday. good morning, washington. have two tropical storms in the atlantic. brett is the closest to the coastline and that gives us concerns for the rip currents. let's go to our weatherbug network and our newest live hd camera in frederick, maryland. it looks cloudy. that is the haze in the sky this morning. off to the west and southwest is where we are looking. the hazy sunshine will be the story for the next few days. 79 degrees in the district and a gaithersburg is 76 degrees. 100 degrees will be the high

temperature later today but when you factor in the humidity, it will feel like 115. dangerously hot this afternoon and gets hotter into tomorrow. just over 100 with the heat index up to about 118 degrees. a heated -- a he advisory is in effect. we are watching the incident at rockville pike making your commute tough this morning. the southbound lanes are blocked on randolph road. the fire occurred before 4:00 a.m. this morning before white flint mall. there is a lot of police activity. 95 southbound b 4234 there is slow traffic due to an overturned vehicles. a lot of activity here. the district looks good this morning. >> thank you.

it looks a little hazy out there this morning. it is 78 degrees but it will feel like 115 degrees later. >> coming up, more jobs are on the chopping block. the nation's largest mortgage leader agrees to pay up. >> the amount of damage they could inflict could affect thousands of lives that utilities are under attack

our top stories -- the era of the u.s. space flight ended when the shuttle atlantis landed a few minutes ago. atlantis ends a 30-year-old space shuttle program. the astronauts drop off a year's worth of supplies at the international space station. and the editors are trying to figure out what led to a deadly police-involved shooting

in centreville. police of a search ordered a man to drop his weapon and he refused and officers opened fire killing him. the man has not been identified. texas executed a man for killing a store clerk during a shooting spree he said was in retaliation for the september 11 attacks. he killed two men and wounded a third during the rampage. the lone survivor tried to stop the execution. a newly released report says terrorists could be targeting our nation's utility. our region is home to a number of large facilities including the calvert cliffs nuclear facility the ssc dam and newington which boasts large gas containers. >> terrace 7 interest on working from the inside.

-- terrorists have an interest on working from the inside. >> if someone were determined and have the right access, the amount of damage they could inflict could affect thousands of lives than a the d.c. region as a number of high-profile site including this tank farm of 95 in southern fairfax county. chante bryan lives nearby. >> i have heard a little bit about the security threats. i would say watch your back a little bit. >> while vhs has no specific intelligence of an imminent threat several recent incidents highlight the ongoing threat to infrastructure and utilities from insiders and outsiders. >> one concern could be related to suspected al-qaeda -- 21

suspected al qaeda recruit. he worked at a number of nuclear power plants in the mid-atlantic region. transportation security administration is unchanged was controversial body scanner program. the agency is installing new software to improve passenger privacy. this offer will produce a generic silhouette instead of a detailed image of a person's body they hope to install the software in all of its machines by the end of the year. >> the airport authority is reversing course and the dulles metro rail project. they had voted to build an underground station at dulles airport but yesterday, they voted to accept the u.s. transportation secretary suggestion and approve it less expensive above-ground station. building the station above- ground could save about one milk -- $1 billion. six-day a week mail delivery could be going away. more people could find

themselves out of work. an increase in laos -- companies are limiting jobs at the fastest pace in almost one year because they are not seeing much economic growth. that will keep unemployment numbers high and discourage new consumer spending. wells fargo is agreed to pay $85 million to pay damages on shady mortgage practices. the head of the postal service has warned that saturday mail delivery is going the way of the telegram and eventually you will only get mail three days per week. he blames the soaring overhead costs and lower mail volume. comicon has two major films opening at the convention in san diego. there will be previews of other films. that is america's money. >> the time is 6:18 and adam

caskey joins us now. i would take the heat over the freezing cold. the majority would go for the snow. these are local folks. you cannot do anything with heat. you cannot build a snow fort. >> he does not shut down your commute. >> that's true. let's take a look at the excessive heat warning this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. let's be positive.

the heat and humidity will combine to make it feel like 115 later this afternoon. we will have record-challenging high temperatures over the next few days. i think four of these records you see here between tomorrow and saturday will likely be tied or broken. dulles 98 tomorrow and 99 on saturday. 81 degrees in the district right now. 77 in lexington park and 81 degrees downtown but it feels like 88. 100 degrees will be the high- temperature this afternoon but with the dew point in the mid 70's and the humidity being high it will feel like 115 degrees. it is dangerously hot today tomorrow, and saturday as the high temperatures will be at an above 100 and it will feel warmer. it will feel at 118 degrees and

we may have heat index values near 120 degrees and cool down by the early part of next week. tomorrow, a chance of an isolated brief storm possible and a better chance on sunday and monday. we are looking at a lot of traffic this morning. we have slow traffic on 295 southbound at suitland parkway and 66 eastbound at manassas to route 50. we have more slow traffic 95 northbound between lorton and springfield. we're watching this incident on rockville pike. we still see a lot of activity there due to the earlier structure fire. there are still clotures southbound this morning. a lot of incidents going on this morning. we're watching the water main break on georgia avenue, as well.

>> the time is 6:21 and 78 degrees outside. >> coming up, should you or shouldn't you? new guidelines for women about when to get mammograms. >> later today on oprah reuniting the cash from "the color purple" at 4:00.

>> we have word of new guidelines for mammogram screenings. women should start getting annual mammograms at age 40 instead of 50. the older guidelines recommended screenings every one-two years between 40 and 50. the earlier breast cancer is detected, the more treatable it is. watch out for your sleep- deprived co-workers. a new university of arkansas study finds that a lack of sleep makes people more likely to plot out revenge. people were more likely to imagine how an outcome could have turned out better. they did not consider what they could have done differently. it says they blame others. speak in of hostility paris hilton was not pleased about a question she was asked during a question with abc news. >> do you worry about your

moment having passed? >> the reality tv star walked off during questions about declining ratings for her new tv show. after meeting with her publicist, she returned and answered questions. >> apparently they hugged and made up. >> yes. >> she did not like that question. the time is 6:26 and there's still another half-hour of "good morning, washington." >> dozens of people marked the 150th anniversary of the civil war battle. >> i am at the gawdy space center in greenbelt, maryland this morning. a bittersweet morning for nasa staff and we will talk about what is next for nasa coming up. >> we are tracking the heat wave and the record-challenging high temperatures today and the next couple of [ cherie ] i always had

a job ever since i was fourteen. i could not make worki and gng to school work. it was not until the university of phoenix that i was able to work full-time be a mom, and go to school. the opportunities that i had at the university of phoenix dealing with professionals teaching things that they were doing every day got me to where i am today. i'm mayor cherie wood i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu.

>> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> straight ahead breaking news -- fairfax county police opened fire on a suspect. good morning washington, it is thursday, july 21. >> will have more on that breaking news and the end of an era for nasa any moment. first, dangers he moves into our area and an excessive heat warning will be in effect today and tomorrow. the temperature could hit a triple digits with the heat index topping wonders 15 degrees. the extreme heat nationwide is blamed for at least 22 deaths with more on conditions in our area, let's go to adam caskey. the core of the heat wave is here. temperatures will be at and a little above 100 degrees.

we have an excessive heat warning in effect for the entire viewing area to -- this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon and will more likely be extended to saturday afternoon. 81 degrees at reagan national airport currently. we are on our way to 100 degrees but when you factor in the committee, -- in the humidity, it will feel like 115 degrees later this afternoon. it is dangerously hot during the peak heating of the day in the afternoon and it gets harder to mark above 100 degrees. it will probably be 102 degrees. record-challenging feet and a slight chance of an isolated storm tomorrow and a better chance sunday and monday. we break this heat wave by the early part of next week. we're still watching no major problems but fairly quiet this morning on the beltway.

355 in maryland, rockville pike, we are watching the closure between security lane and edson lane. the incident occurred about 4:00 this morning near white flint mall. 97 southbound is still closed due to the earlier water main break yesterday. we will see if it gets a little better early this morning. >> a lot of trouble spots out there. the final flight of the space shuttle atlantis comes to an end for the shuttle landed moments ago at the kennedy space center in florida. >> nose gear touchdown. having fired the imagination of a generation a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time.

it's a voyage and and. >> before -person crew arrived safely back on earth. this is the final flight of the 30-year nasa program. at the goddard space center there is a lot of emotion. >> there were handshakes and applause when the lending happen before 6:00 this morning. i am inside nascom operation center where communications between the shuttle and kennedy and johnson space center happens. we're digging a live look at the tarmac in florida where the shuttle has landed. they are giving it some time to power down before the four astronauts can de-board the shuttle. short distance of space flight

is now in the hands of private companies and nasa will turn to deep space exploration beyond the moon. at nasa, that will focus on a science lab on a mars and robotic development and exploration and communication will continue here working with the russians, the japanese, and europeans as they continue to go into space. early this morning the astronauts on board the space shuttle atlantis woke up to their final wake-up call, irving berlin pause "god bless america." the crew of a plant that left behind something on the international space station, a u.s. flag that flew on the 1981 shuttle voyage which was the first one. that flag will be the prize of the first american spaceship to get back to the space station. >> thank you so much. we are following breaking news from fairfax county where police opened fire on a suspect. >> it happened in the sixth 100

block kendra way and centreville. and good morning still a very active scene out here at this hour. police remain here in this town house complex grid authorities tell us that this started about 1:30 this morning. this is a live picture of newschopper7 above the scene. investigators remain out here. they tell us they were originally called to the house for some sort of disturbance. a phone call was made from inside the home as well as a neighbor. they received both of those calls around 1:30 this morning. once police arrived on the scene, police were in the front and back of the house. that is when they tell us that officers in front of a home saw a man in the garage with a weapon. authorities tell us this man is said to be in his mid-30's. he was ordered to drop the

weapon and the tories say when he did not, police fired shots. the man was pronounced dead on the scene. authorities say there was one other adult inside the home at the time. they were originally called llewellyn king -- there were originally called out over a disturbance. the investigation is ongoing. >> keep us posted, thank you. with the potential default looming, there is little progress on a deal aimed at reducing the nation's debt. president obama met with congressional leaders to try and break the deadlock. he says he will accept a short- term debt ceiling increase to give congress more time to reach a broader agreement. this comes as the senate takes up the cut kappa, and balance plan. we will have more on this coming up. >> the time is 6:36 and 78 degrees outside. >> still ahead is the nfl

lockout nearing an end. new signs that the sides could be close to a deal.

>> welcome back. 6:39 in this thursday morning. let's check on traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> chief meteorologist doug hill

checks in with us. >> i did adam caskey's question on facebook. i grew up in the humidity of maryland and i am fine with it. it is nice to have air- conditioning but i prefer this to freezing cold blizzards. >> am with you there. you can go to the beach or the pool and you have more options. let's get you started up the road at chesapeake beach. there is kind of a hazy start to the morning and very humid. you may wake up and find a little water beating up on your glass. we have high moisture levels out there already. 79 degrees in gaithersburg and 81 degrees in washington. -- it already feels like 88 degrees in the city with the humidity. an excessive heat warning from

noon until 8:00 p.m. this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon as well. there is not much relief into saturday. at least 100 degrees today. the heat index the way it feels outside will approach 115 degrees in places. tomorrow, much it might be even higher values. we'll talk more about that and the weekend and thunderstorm chances in our next report. >> thank you so much. i've got great news -- we have reopened rockville pike is traveling southbound between security lane and ed sablan. we had some -- ed some of lane. -- edson lane. looking at virginia, we have slow traffic as you make your

way to the 14th street bridge on 395. there is slow traffic from king street and the duke street. i have a crash reported if you're traveling 95 southbound b 4234/dumfries. -- before two --

6:44 on this thursday and there are signs that the nfl lockout could be coming to an end. >> the league's 32 owners will meet in atlanta this morning and they are expected to vote any new deal with the players' union. after four months of uncertainty, nfl fans are holding their breath, hoping for

an agreement between the players association and team honors. >> it is billionaires' against millionaires. kenya not meet in the middle? >> even the president is ready for the lockout to end. >> my assumption is at a time when people are having to cut back and compromise and worry about making their mortgage and paying for their kids' college education, the two party should be able to work it out. >> at the center of the conflict is what to do with some $9 billion in annual revenue. both sides want a bigger cut. the players' meeting in washington or expected to take a vote on the deal wednesday but stopped short of making any progress. in atlanta it appears team owners must approve the agreement the lead counsel says that is good news for football fans. >> there is a level of optimism at this point. it is cautious. i think we are making progress.

it is a complicated agreement. i think both sides are at the point where they can close, they should close and we should be in a position to take votes. >> both sides could vote as early as thursday on the proposed deal. >> let's hope it passes. a 6-year-old girl is recovering after being bitten by a shark in north carolina. the child was swimming in only a foot and a half of water on tuesday when she was bitten on her lower right leg and foot at the outer bank. the fort hood gunmen will be tried in march. she did not enter a plea during his arraignment yesterday. he also fired his civilian lawyer asked a judge to replace

him with a military attorney. a former marine accused of shooting several northern virginia military police is expected to plead guilty to unrelated charges. he will plead guilty to larceny charges in loudoun county and faces federal charges for a series of overnight shootings that began last october. his lawyers insist the man has no grievance against our marines. >> looking at the day ahead -- a sesquicentennial event will take place in -- will kick off in manassas. on saturday and sunday, thousands of civil war reactors will recreate the battle of bull run. that could draw 100,000 spectators. vincent gray is heading to hollywood. he will fly to los angeles today to meet with studio and production company executives. his goal is to lure more big

budget films to the district for it is also attending the summer leadership meeting of the u.s. conference of mayors. >> 6 o'clock 47 and time for traffic and weather. >> let's get right to doug hill. it was a tough commute to work, down the steps. this heat and humidity is the real deal. we have told you it was coming. it is act -- it is arriving today. let's look at what our hd cameras in laurel. the sun comes up through the haze and we are running temperatures and humidity levels that will be uncomfortable, to say the least 77 degrees in the district right now when you factor in the dew point, it feels much warmer already. these numbers will continue to

rise throughout the day. an excessive heat warning is in effect from noon until 8:00 p.m. today and tomorrow. we will also have issues for the day on saturday. we've got a couple of shots at some records. the records at the airports could fall. , especially at washington, dollars. the temperature says a 100 but when you get this kind of air mass you can spike 100-103 degrees. that will be the peak between 3:00 and 4:00 and we will see our peak heat index which could be in excess of 115 degrees at times and maybe tomorrow a little higher. it will be a willgo today and tomorrow and only a little bit of relief on saturday. adam caskey will have

thunderstorm chances including in the seven-day outlook. i am going outside to run. >> i will join you. there will be die hard exercise is out there. >> let's go right to traffic. you might be better running as opposed to being in a car this morning. it is slope between randolph road and arcola avenue due to the water main break yesterday. on 355, rockville pike it has opened up between security lane and edson lane due to earlier fire activity earlier this morning near white flint mall. if you are making your way across the american legion bridge no problems to report we have some slow traffic on 95 northbound across the occoquan. >> not looking good on the roads

this morning. >> the t

>> coming up here,0 have the nation's population is baking in record temperatures as the massive heat wave moves east. we will show you the real impact

it has and your body and within minutes. will have an inside look at the life of charlie sheen. one of his former goddesses speaks out right here on "good morning, america." >> the time is 6:54 end time to check the top stories. the space shuttle atlantis' five 0 landing was picture perfect. now that atlantis is back on earth, the shuttle will be retired and the 30-year-old space shuttle program will officially come to an end. >> investigators are searching for clues in a deadly police shooting in centreville. police say officers ordered a man to drop his weapon and when he did not, police opened fire killing him. authorities say another person was in the home at the time. first lady michelle obama will visit the ocean and a naval air station in virginia beach today. the white house says the first lady will meet with military families and host a screening of

the final harry potter movie. today is the day monday, but fans have been waiting for. >> the annual comic-con kicks off today. fans will get a future -- a glimpse of future comic games. >> it is time to get a last look at traffic and weather. good news again on 355/rockville pike where we had clotures this morning. everything has reopened so your commute will not be a total disaster this morning. if you are on the outer loop, we have slow traffic at new hampshire avenue where everything is turning into a baby parking lot.

this is from 953 georgia ave. in the district, we have a regular marc services and blue and yellow line services are up to 15 minutes late. the disruption at pentagon city has been resolved but issues are still remaining. it will be unbearably hot today. high temperatures are at an above 100 and it will feel like it is about 115th the next few afternoons. we cool down by the early part of next week. a slight chance the thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon west of the metro and a better chance sunday and monday. send your photos to wjla.com. tell us -- show us how you are beating the heat. >> that will do it for us.